It's referred to as one of the film world's unmade masterpieces,
which is an admittedly lofty -- not to mention presumptuous --
description of a movie for which not even a single frame of film was
ever shot. But this isn't just any ordinary movie. This is Alejandro
Jodorowsky's "Dune," a project that has been cloaked in an alluring
mystique almost from the time it was first proposed in the mid 1970s.

That mystique is still alive and well among many sci-fi fans, who
lament that "Jodo," as he is known -- the surrealist Chilean-French
artist-filmmaker behind such cult favorites as "El Topo" and "The Holy
Mountain" -- never got to see his ambitious vision wash over the big
screen.

Until now -- sort of -- in the form of "Jodorowsky's Dune," a
fascinating and authoritative documentary from director Frank Pavich
that will be the subject of a sneak-preview screening tonight (April 30)
at the Theatres at Canal Place before opening for a full theatrical New
Orleans run Friday (May 2).

In addition to offering a tantalizing taste of what could have been,
Pavich's film makes it clear that Jodorowsky's "Dune" -- a very
different creature, and born from a very different vision, than David
Lynch's poorly received 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert's revered
sci-fi tome -- still managed in its own way to change the trajectory of
the sci-fi genre in Hollywood.

Still, Pavich suggests that if Jodo's vision had indeed come to
fruition, those films -- and the sci-fi fantasies to follow -- very well
might have been different creatures all together.

And so, as it weaves its spell, "Jodorowsky's Dune" becomes not only a
movie nerd's delight, but also a sci-fi nerd's delight -- indeed, even a
pop-culture nerd's delight.

On the one hand, it offers a comprehensive chronicling of the history
of Jodorowsky's ill-fated project, which was aborted after he spent
considerable time and money assembling a creative team, a now-legendary,
inches-thick, bound storyboard, and a cast that included Salvador Dali
and Orson Welles. Also, though, it serves as a nice portrait of the man
himself. That's because the dominant and most compelling voice in
Pavich's documentary is that of the 85-year-old Jodorowsky, who sat down
for multiple interviews to share his version of his vision, to flip
through that storyboard (one of only two believed to still exist) and to
explain why the film never became a reality.

In fact, easily the best thing about Pavich's film is Jodorowsky
himself. Yes, he is an artist, but he's not the brooding,
man-in-a-black-turtleneck type of weirdo-artist so often associated with
the cult-film circles of the 1960s and '70s. Rather, he's an engaging,
even elegant presence -- a magnetic personality who tells the story of
his greatest failure with charm, smiles and laughter.

Here's a man who is isn't afraid to stop talking to the camera
mid-sentence in order to coo at his cat (named Flower, if I heard
correctly) and lure her onto his lap -- and then continue right where he
left off.

Along the way we get tons of little-seen concept art that springs to
life both through a touch of animation as well as those first-person
tales from Jodorowsky himself about how he assembled his "team of
geniuses" to hammer out the visual and storytelling concepts for his
doomed "Dune." (A sampling: As Jodo tells it, he got Dali to agree to
play a small role by promising to pay him $100,000 an hour, thus giving
the flamboyant artist claim to being "the highest-paid actor in the
world." Landing Welles was easier: Jodorowsky told the rotund star that
he would hire the chef from Welles' favorite French restaurant to cook
for him on set daily. Done deal.)

That's fascinating, tantalizing stuff, the kind of movie that will
make a film fan ache with "what if's." That's especially true when one
considers how close Jodo's "Dune" came to becoming reality.

Granted, there's a certain amount of lionization going on between the
opening and closing credits of Pavich's film, including from Jodo
himself, who declares without a trace of irony that his "Dune" would
have been the most important in the history of humanity. That's a bold
statement, especially coming from a man whose pre- and post-"Dune" works
-- while trippily intriguing -- failed to achieve full-on "masterpiece"
status in the eyes of most film fans.

Still, we're talking about a fantasy film, and so it only seems
fitting that room be allowed for a certain amount of fantasizing.

We'll never really know what Jodorowsky's "Dune" would have changed.
But we do have Pavich's film, which is an achievement in its own right.
Here is a film that not only entertains, but also educates and -- thanks
to Jodo's deep confidence and energetic artistic optimism -- one that
also inspires.

What works: It's fascinating stuff from a
film-history perspective, but it also benefits greatly from the
participation of the 85-year-old Jodorowsky, who proves to be an
engaging storyteller and elegant presence.

What doesn't: There's no small amount of lionization going on, and one has to wonder whether all of it is entirely warranted.